Mr. Speaker, we understand that having an efficient and functional transportation system is absolutely critical. We need to work together. We have to work together with the provinces and with the municipalities to make that happen. Those kinds of discussions are under way.

Mr. Speaker, perhaps the minister does not understand that there is no public transportation in northern Saskatchewan. This means that many women, seniors, and residents, including first nations and Métis, cannot safely get to medical appointments or other critical services. Some cannot even get to a grocery store. This is unacceptable.

When will the minister start working with first nations, Métis, and rural communities to provide them with safe transit?

Ralph GoodaleLiberalMinister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows of course that the decision to cancel the Saskatchewan Transportation Company and to eliminate that service across Saskatchewan was a decision taken by the provincial government.

The federal government has infrastructure programming available to support transit services and facilities. The Government of Canada does not actually operate the bus system, but the Government of Canada can invest in the physical assets that are required to support the bus system. There would need to be a proponent in Saskatchewan willing to bring forward that proposition.

Mr. Speaker, my palliative care bill passed into law last year. As part of that law, the health minister is required to meet with the provinces to determine the services to be covered, appropriate training for the different levels of service provision, and to get input on a plan to get consistent access to palliative care for all Canadians.

Since the law passed, the term “palliative care” was removed from the 2018 budget. Why is the minister dragging her feet on this very important issue?

Mr. Speaker, we recognize that Canadians want to stay independent as long as possible and if they need services, they want to receive them within their home. In addition to the Canada health transfer payments, we have invested more than $6 billion to provinces and territories to ensure that better home care and palliative care services are in place. We recently announced $6 million to Pallium Canada to increase capacity to deliver palliative care to communities.

I look forward to working with provinces and territories as we move forward in the implementation of Bill C-277. We certainly want to make sure that the provisions of the bill are put in place.

Mr. Speaker, after lengthy court battles, Charmaine Stick finally won the right to see the financial information for her band, Onion Lake Cree. The vast majority of bands publish this information freely. However, the government has enabled the rest to hide their books.

As Charmaine said, “Now that we have the numbers, our leaders are going to have to start answering tough questions.” That is the way it should be, communities that are empowered. Why is the government continuing to be complicit in this cover-up?

Don RusnakLiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous Services

Mr. Speaker, everyone, including first nation governments, support transparency and accountability. We held 27 engagement sessions from coast to coast to coast, and heard clearly from first nations that top-down solutions do not work.

We are moving forward with the co-development of the mutual accountability framework, which was a recommendation for the new fiscal relationship report that was developed with the AFN. Mutual transparency and accountability will only be approved by working in true partnership with first nations.

Mr. Speaker, on April 6, the Ministers of Finance, International Trade, and Families, Children and Social Development enjoyed a tour of the Port of Québec. I am very pleased about that because since 2015, the Port of Québec has been working on Beauport 2020, a promising project for the economy of the Quebec City and Beauport—Limoilou region. However, the port authority has been waiting for three years for government support for this project and for the $60 million allocated by the previous Conservative government.

I am therefore asking the ministers to simply tell me if you discussed the Beauport 2020 project with the Port of Québec and what those discussions entailed.

If you would give me a minute, the minister has been in contact. There is a port authority review that is ongoing at the present time. I know that the minister is very involved in this discussion as we move forward.

The hon. member knows that I will give members 35 seconds and not give them a minute, but I do not think she was actually meaning to talk to me when she said “you”. I would ask her to direct her comments to the Chair.

Mr. Speaker, the flooding in New Brunswick is unprecedented. This week I have been very involved, as always, talking with my constituents, and with the Minister of Fisheries, EMO officials, mayors, and volunteers about this flooding.

Would the minister please inform the House how our government will help New Brunswickers and my riding of New Brunswick Southwest impacted by this unprecedented flooding?

Terry BeechLiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries

Mr. Speaker, our thoughts are with the people of New Brunswick. We offer all the support that we can during this challenging time. That is why yesterday, at the request of the Government of New Brunswick, the Canadian Coast Guard committed to assisting the flood relief effort across the province. In addition to boats and personnel, the Coast Guard will help residents safeguard their homes against potential damage.

The safety and security of New Brunswickers is a priority for our government, in fact, for all members of this House. We are committed to doing everything we can to support New Brunswickers during this difficult time.

Mr. Speaker, during the election campaign, the Prime Minister stated that the budget would balance itself. Once elected into office, the Minister of National Revenue thought that by giving $1 billion to her officials she would find $25 billion. That has not happened. However, Nova Scotia sculptor Steve Higgins just received a $14,000 tax bill because the CRA considers his work to be a hobby. Having gone after single mothers and people with disabilities, the Liberals are now trying to balance the books on the backs of honest workers, like Mr. Higgins.

Kamal KheraLiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue

Mr. Speaker, Canadian artists are among the most talented in the world, and we will work with our partners in the arts to support them in their work. As my colleague opposite knows very well, I cannot comment on specific cases.

The rules surrounding what is considered a hobby or a business are defined in the Income Tax Act, the test for which was defined by the Supreme Court in 2002. We are committed to working with artists and stakeholders from the arts community to ensure that they have the tools and information needed to understand their tax obligations.

Mr. Speaker, we live in a world where women living in poverty face outrageous inequalities from their birth to their death. Women do not have anywhere near the same advantages as men when it comes to access to education, employment, property, and responsibilities.

With our feminist international assistance policy, we focus on empowering women and girls to end poverty by supporting local women's organizations, funding education, in particular by reducing the barriers that prevent teen girls from going to school, giving them full access to sexual and reproductive health services, and supporting women entrepreneurs.

By involving women and girls, we can create a fairer, more inclusive, and more prosperous world.

Mr. Speaker, Canadian companies are waiting on the Liberal government to do something on the TPP. They know that being one of the first in the agreement will give them a head start on selling their high-quality products to a market of 500 million consumers. The Prime Minister has given no timeline on the ratification.

Can the Liberals tell us when we will see legislation so that Canadian companies can start taking advantage of this great Conservative-negotiated agreement?

Mr. Speaker, the ratification of the CPTPP is a priority for our government. The minister was pleased to sign the agreement on March 8. Now that the agreement is signed, each member nation of the CPTPP will start its own ratification and implementation procedure. Agreements must go through the normal legislative process before being ratified. I look forward to working with my esteemed colleague on this legislation.

As you know, Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister firmly believes that youth are not just leaders of tomorrow but leaders of today, and that is why the “for youth, by youth” approach that we have taken to the creation of the first-ever youth policy for Canada is proof of just that. We have had an opportunity to speak with thousands of youth from all across the country about the issues that matter most to them, but we always want to reach out to more.

That is why I encourage all members of the House to invite and encourage the young people in their riding to visit the website youthaction.ca to share their comments and provide feedback.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday in the media, the Competition Bureau responded to our request to investigate gas prices. The Bureau talked about a conspiracy and asked the public to submit evidence. When officials ask the public for help then it is clear that a real investigation is needed.

Yesterday, the parliamentary secretary told us that he would monitor the situation, but we are asking the minister to do his job and call for an inquiry.